


Coming out

by bernieloverstuff



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Genre: M/M, PDA, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 13:31:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2230860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bernieloverstuff/pseuds/bernieloverstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rocket and Groot announce their relationship to the team. It doesn't get the reaction Rocket expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming out

Rocket was swirling the coffee around in his mug, not looking up. He felt slightly nauseous. The kitchen was filled with the clinking of utensils as the team ate breakfast. He felt a soft nudge in his side and looked up. Groot gave him a meaningful look. Rocket's ears tilted down and he sighed in defeat, putting his mug on the table. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, so guys. We, uh, me and Groot have something to, er, we have an announcement to make," he said, noticing his voice was a bit shaky. Peter tore a giant chunk off his breakfast muffin, nodding encouragingly. Rocket rubbed his neck, stealing a glance at his mate, who smiled warmly at him. The raccoon straightened up and inhaled deeply. 

"So, uh, ya know how in some cultures there's like marriage, but the kind where you can never get a divorce, and you're married till you die?" he asked. Drax, chewing on his sandwich, raised his brows and nodded.

"I once visited a culture in which the penalty for a woman of cheating on her spouse was to be decapitated and have her head speared in front of her home," he said. Rocket stared at him with wide eyes.

"Aha.." he responded.

"And if a man was caught doing so, they cut off his penis and-"

"Thanks! That's very, thanks, that's enough, I get it," the raccoon interrupted, noticing Gamora and Peter's faces go pale. Rocket cleared his throat. 

"So, uh, what I'm trying to say is, uh, me and Groot, I mean, there's no word for it in our language really, but I suppose it's the closest we've got so uh, ya know, me and Groot are, like... married," he stuttered, glancing around the table quickly. His fur stood on end with anticipation. Peter's expression didn't change, he kept chewing, looking at the raccoon, slightly expectant. Gamora sipped her coffee, seeming a bit distracted. Drax swallowed, smiling and nodding his head.

"I am very skilled with knives," he said. Rocket frowned, staring at him in disbelief. 

"What!? What's that gotta do with anything?!" he snapped. Drax stilled, looking uncertain, glancing at Peter and Gamora for reassurance.

"We are stating obvious facts, yes?" he asked. "Is that not what we are doing?" He looked around the table. Peter's eyebrows shot up and he put his muffin down, raising his palms. 

"Ooh, sharing time!" he said, mouth full of food, and laid his hands on the table, lowering his voice. 

"I haven't pooped in like three days," he confessed. "I'm starting to get a little worried." 

"Peter!!" Gamora groaned, letting her muffin drop on the plate. "I'm trying to eat here!"

"You seem to be succeeding," Drax pointed out. Gamora shot him a glare.

"Don't. It's too early for this," she snapped. 

"What, we're all still pretending we don't use the toilet? After three moths of living together on my ship? Seriously?" Peter asked, raising his hands. "Aren't families supposed to be able to talk about everything?" 

"It was Stating Obvious Facts, Peter, not Too Much Information time," Gamora growled. Peter made a wild face.

"I can't be the only one with this problem!" he yelled. "I mean come on! We can go for days cooped up in here, not getting a whole lot of exercise. And Drax?" He faced the tattooed man. 

"How is it possible he doesn't have that problem? He eats like three times more meat than me, that can't be good for you!" The larger man glared at Quill menacingly. Peter shrunk back, lifting his palms. 

"Never mind, I didn't mean it, your bowel movements are perfect," he muttered. Rocket stared at his teammates in disbelief. 

"Did you guys hear what I said? Me and Groot are married!" he said. They turned to look at him, questioning expressions on their faces. Rocket chewed on his cheek. Maybe they had misunderstood the arrangement? 

"And when I say married, I mean it the old-fashioned way," he said slowly, looking at all of them individually. "Ya know, not like some convenience thing? We're married like a man and woman are married. A man and a man," he corrected. They still seemed completely emotionless. Rocket snarled and made a gesture with his hands. 

"Ya know, we have sex" he snapped. Still no reaction. They seemed to be waiting for something. Rocket looked around.

"What?! Why aren't you surprised?!" he asked. Gamora was the first whose shoulders started to shake. She buried her face in her palms, leaning on the table, and laughed. Peter and Drax soon joined in the merriment. Rocket stared at them in horror. He hated it when others laughed and he wasn't sure what they were laughing at. It always made him feel like they were laughing at his expense. He hated it. His hackles rose, and he grabbed the edge of the table tightly, tail stiffening and fluffing up. 

"What?? What's so flarking funny?!" he yelled. It only made them laugh harder. Rocket knew it was bad when even Drax got a joke he didn't. The raccoon felt a large, heavy hand land on his shoulders, and slowly, soothingly stroke down his trembling back. His ears tilting down, he pressed his gaze on the table, secretly grateful for the touch. Peter sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, crossing his hands behind his head.

"Where to start?" he mused. "Oh yeah, example number one, the thing we're looking at right now." Gamora smiled. Quill rubbed his chin with his index finger.

"You two literally can't keep your hands off each other," he said. Rocket tensed up, feeling his face grow warm.

"What are you talking about!? We never-" he halted, acutely aware of the rough hand massaging his back. Inhaling shakily, he continued slightly calmer.

"We almost never do any kind of freaky touching in front of anyone," he snapped. "I take extra precautions that nothing like that happens." Gamora sighed.

"Nobody said anything about freaky, Rocket. What we mean is the little things, you know," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Subtle things. Like you stroking or scratching the bark on his neck when you're sitting on his shoulder, or how your fingers just brush when you pass each other. If you stand next to him, you lean against him. How he always seats himself near you, or so that you're always in his field of vision. If possible, sitting so he can be physically against you, everywhere you go." Rocket didn't know where to look; he had no idea she had noticed all those things. 

"Or how he tends to pull you on his lap when you're working on some tech crap, and you let him. And how his vines somehow always wrap around you if you two have to sit still next to each other for more than 20 minutes," Peter said. "Or how every time one of you enters a room, you sorta scan it to find each other before doing anything else. Like a robotic thing, almost. Or how you two are always coming for each other first when we're all being attacked." Rocket's ears twitched self-consciously. He'd had no idea it was that visible. He had been sure his policy had kept their relationship a secret. 

"Or how he says things to you very gently, and you fluff up all over and your ears go back and you can't stop grinning despite your best efforts and you resort to violence to shut him up, even though we can't understand him," Gamora continued. "And let's not even get started on how you two act when you think nobody's watching." Rocket's shoulders tensed.

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously. The assassin rolled her eyes.

"Well, you two sharing a bedroom is explained by the lack of space on the ship. It doesn't suggest anything. But when you cuddle up behind us all when we're watching movies, in the dark, thinking we can't hear or see anything," she said meaningfully, tilting her head. "And you're ignoring the movie and purring on his lap like a pet, and nibbling on his fingers... I don't know many male friends who do that, no matter how close they are." Rocket stared at the table surface, face hot and prickling, Groot's large palm still massaging his tight back in slow, gentle circles. 

"I have not noticed some of those things," Drax said softly. "But I do see how you look at him, and how he looks at you. It is always the same look." Peter grinned, leaning on the table with his elbows.

"Sorry to suck the drama out of your announcement. Hey, you want us to act surprised? We can totally act surprised, right guys?" he asked, glancing at Gamora and Drax. Rocket leaned closer, revealing his canines with a snarl.

"Shut up," he growled. 

"I do not understand why it must be a secret," Drax said. "Is it your culture?" Rocket opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. He had always instinctively known keeping everything hidden was the safest way, the best way to survive. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he had expected. He hadn't wanted to think about it at all. But it was not this. He had revealed everything, and nothing had changed. They looked at him exactly as they had before. Rocket leaned back, heavy and tired, letting Groot's hand support him. The palm cradled his narrow frame gently, and the Colossus looked at his teammates with affection. 

"I am Groot," he said softly. Peter and Gamora dropped their food, Drax's mug clonking and splashing its contents on the table. They stared at the Flora Colossus with broad eyes and open mouths. Rocket perked up, recognizing the looks of awe on their faces. It had finally happened.


End file.
